5 Best VPNs for Egypt

Ray Walsh

February 22, 2017

Despite widespread liberalization, Egypt is known to suffer severely from censorship. In last year’s Freedom House study, Egypt went down a few points in every single category. In 2017, al-Sisi’s government maintains a strong grip on freedom of expression, and neither the media nor the internet are anywhere near “free.” Thus, to communicate securely, people living in (or visiting) Egypt require a virtual private network (VPN) for both access and privacy. A VPN for Egypt will unblock vital information and news by restoring access to restricted content. In addition, a reliable VPN for Egypt will provide a strong layer of encryption to all incoming and outgoing web traffic.

The Best VPNs for Egypt

With the media under the government’s thumb, anybody wishing to express or read opinions outside of the official narrative finds it almost impossible to do so. Following the Arab Spring, the Muslim Brotherhood is banned in the nation. The media is under strict control, and any outlet that dares to speak out is prosecuted, gagged, or shut down with force. In 2015, dozens of journalists were assaulted by security forces in Egypt in order to quell politically dissenting views.

The VPNs in this article provide much-needed privacy for people who dare to express dissenting political beliefs. In addition, they provide more casual internet users and travelers with the opportunity to stay secure while on public WiFi and at home. Finally, these trusted and reliable VPNs will successfully unblock any restricted content that their users want to see, whether it be streaming video content, movies, TVshows, sports, or news. They overcome the censorship imposed by internet service providers (ISPs), governments, workplaces, landlords and education institutions.

5/5

PROS

Fast servers in 87 countries

Egypt IP address

Strong encryption

Fully featured VPN software

Excellent 24/7 customer care

CONS

Some minimal connection logs kept for internal use

ExpressVPN is an excellent option if you need a VPN for Egypt. It has fast servers located in 87 countries, which means that you’ll always be able to unblock geo-restricted content. Encryption is absolutely fantastic and will protect you from ISPs, the government, and hackers snooping on public WiFi. The software is fully featured with all the trimmings, such as DNS leak protection and a kill switch.

The VPN is highly intuitive and has 24/7 customer care to help its subscribers with anything at any time of day. Subscribers can use the VPN on three simultaneous devices. Thanks to its fast server in Egypt, users will also be able to remain private and secure when browsing websites within the nation itself. Finally, ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee to test the service risk free.

4.4/5

PROS

Servers in over 70 countries

Egyptian VPN server

Strong encryption

No usage logs kept

Good customer care

CONS

P2P not recommended

Some connection logs kept

VyprVPN is based in Switzerland and run by Golden Frog, a US-based internet conglomerate. The firm has its own infrastructure of servers, which allows VyprVPN to deliver outstanding speeds. It has servers in over 70 countries, including Egypt, which make it an excellent Egyptian VPN. The software is fully featured, with a kill switch and DNS leak protection, and is very easy to use. It is available for all the popular platforms. Encryption is strong OpenVPN protocol, and will keep users secure both at home and on public WiFi. With a seven-day money-back guarantee and great customer care, this VPN is well worth a try.

4.3/5

PROS

Egypt VPN server

Servers in over 60 countries

Zero logs

Software for all platforms

Strong encryption

CONS

Based in US

Some connection logs

IPVanish is a budget priced option that is a worthy VPN for use in Egypt. The VPN has fast servers all over the globe, including an IP address in Egypt. Encryption is strongly implemented, though not as strongly as our number one choice. However, for the price this is an outstanding VPN service that has everything you should need and will keep you secure. It has a kill switch and DNS leak protection, and although it can be considered a little simpler than some other VPN clients, we really like it. Customer service is good, though it is only available in US working hours. With a seven-day free trial, this is a great option if you’re strapped for cash.

4/5

PROS

Servers in over 60 countries

Egypt IP address

Strong encryption

Excellent customer care

Great fully featured software

CONS

Not quite as mind blowing as some of the other services

VPNArea is a Bulgarian VPN that we can really recommend for use in Egypt. It has a fast Egyptian server (and servers located all over the globe). It is fully featured, with a kill switch and DNS leak protection, and is easy to use. Customer care is 24/7 and is among the friendliest we have ever encountered. Encryption is strong OpenVPN, and will keep you secure at home or on public WiFi. Speeds are also really fast. Finally, it has a seven-day money-back guarantee. An excellent VPN for Egypt.

3.5/5

PROS

Egypt server

Servers in 47 countries

Strong encryption

Fully featured software for all platforms

Great customer care

CONS

Performance can be a bit up and down at times

ibVPN is another VPN that is ideal for use in Egypt. Though not as fast as the other VPNs in this list, it does have an Egyptian server so it will do the job well. It has strong OpenVPN encryption to keep users secure at home and on public WiFi. It also has plenty of server options for overcoming censorship, and a nice fully featured client. The VPN is available for all popular platforms. Plus, it has a Smart DNS client built in. Customer care is great, and the VPN offers a 15-day money-back guarantee and a six-hour free trial. Not as great as the four VPNs above, but much better than the vast majority of VPNs on the market for use in Egypt.

Why Get a VPN for Egypt?

When living, or traveling in a location that is known to be dangerous, a VPN is an extremely useful tool. VPN services are the most cutting edge personal cybersecurity tool available. They are an all-in-one solution that both protects a user’s privacy and overcomes censorship, no matter who imposes that censorship.

Many people around the world living in free, non-dangerous places, simply use a VPN to access content from overseas that is blocked due to copyright geo-restrictions. For those people, security and privacy are less of an issue. However, due to the rising tide of mandatory data retention, even in Europe, the UK and America, people are seeking to encrypt their data from government surveillance.

Dangerous Political Situation

In Egypt, the climate is far more severe. In last year’s Freedom House report on internet and media freedom, Egypt received 35 out of 40 in the ‘political environment’ category (where 0 is best and 40 is the worst possible score). As you can see, the nation scored almost as badly as it is possible to score, putting the African nation up there with the likes of North Korea. This means Egypt is a dangerous place to live, and means that it is an immensely good idea to protect one’s digital footprint.

In addition, in 2015 the government passed a new counter-terrorism law. It bans the dissemination of information that contradicts the Ministry of Defence’s accounts of militant attacks. The outcome is that journalists in the region are unable to accurately report on national security issues. This censorship leaves people in the region unable to see two sides of a story. Furthermore, it leaves them completely at the whim of the government’s brainwashing.

A VPN for Egypt: Considerations

When selecting a VPN for Egypt, it is highly important to take the following into consideration.

Server Locations

A VPN for Egypt needs to have plenty of servers located all over the world. This will allow subscribers to ‘spoof’ their IP address abroad to enjoy the internet as if they were a UK, French, US, South African – or any other location’s – citizen.

Connection Speeds

A reliable Egypt VPN should provide outstanding connection speeds, so that users can enjoy HD video content and download anything that they require.

Most of the VPNs on the market have poor servers that are both insecure and provide slow connection speeds. It is not unusual for some VPNs to make a 50 Mbps internet connection become as slow as 2 Mbps. This is an insane performance drop, and means that using the VPN for anything but the least intensive tasks is impossible. For enjoying the internet properly, a VPN for Egypt should provide excellent download speeds for streaming HD video content. All of the VPNs for Egypt in this guide have been carefully selected because they provide everything needed by users in Egypt, including the very best tier 1 speeds.

Privacy: a Critical Part of a Secure Egyptian VPN

When long-time leader President Mubarak was ousted in 2011, the revolution seemed to have happened. People in Egypt were ecstatic and filled with hope. Sadly, six years later, Egypt is under the rule of a highly oppressive military regime. In that time, the Mohamed Morsy government rose and fell, ousted by riots within Cairo that killed over 1,000 Egyptians.

Now under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s rule, the economy is in dire straights, unemployment is high (and rising), and ISIS-like insurgent groups are springing up at an alarming rate. In a nation of nearly 90 million, only 35% have access to the internet, and those who do are severely restricted in what they get to see.

al-Sisi talking at a summit in Paris

In addition, in 2014 al-Sisi established the High Council for Cybersecurity. This organization is supposed to protect the nation against cybercrime. However, in reality the agency performs widespread surveillance on the populace, monitoring all internet activity for dissenters. The problem is severe, and in the last few years many journalists have been imprisoned, and even given life sentences, for attempting to report on institutionalized wrongdoing.

Egypt IP Address

In order to stay secure at home, the very best VPN for Egypt will have a server in Egypt itself. ExpressVPN comes out on top, because it has the best network of servers that we have ever encountered, including a fast server in Egypt. An Egyptian VPN server allows people to be secure even when they need to use Egyptian-only websites. Whether it be TV streams or internet banking, when connected to an Egyptian VPN server you can use local Egyptian services thanks to your handy Egypt IP address.

Public WiFi

Anywhere that struggles with internet penetration rates is likely to have higher rates of shared internet. Due to the fact that a shared internet connection allows traffic to be ‘sniffed’ by hackers, using one can be a risky activity. As such, with the danger of imprisonment (or even loss of life) present in Egypt to people who dare speak out or even consume anything but the officially permitted narrative, a truth-seeker’s life can be considered perilous.

The VPNs in this article create a secure tunnel between the internet user in Egypt and the VPN server. The result is that the VPN user is protected from anyone trying to snoop on their internet traffic. That means people using public WiFi hotspots, or shared WiFi in workplaces, schools, universities, shared living environments or hotels are protected from being snooped on.

VPN for Egypt: Entertainment

Another valid reason for wanting a VPN is to unblock geo-restricted streams from around the world. All of the VPNs in this guide have been selected because they are top-of-the-range. For that reason, they are perfect for watching streams from all over the world in HD. To do so, simply connect to the VPN server in the location that you need, and the geo-restriction notices will simply disappear. The result? You can watch any movie, TV show or foreign sports competition that you wish. The very best VPNs even let you unblock the US Netflix catalog and BBC iPlayer!

Best VPN for Egypt: Conclusion

In this article, we have discussed the main points regarding the need for strong personal cybersecurity in Egypt. No matter whether you are an Egyptian native, or a visitor to the country, the current political climate is one that requires a VPN. For people who fear being fed lies by their government about critical events, a VPN can be employed to see news coverage on Al Jazeera, the BBC or any other preferred news outlet. For people who want to have conversations with people inside or outside the country that they fear could get them prosecuted (or worse), a VPN is a solid privacy solution.

In addition, a VPN is an excellent way of unblocking foreign sports streams, TV shows, and movies. If watching US movies or British TV is your need, these VPNs also serve that purpose. Finally, any of the VPNs for Egypt that we have recommended also serve the purpose of protecting internet users on public WiFi networks. Remember, here at BestVPN.com we are here to help, so if anything is unclear or you need extra information, please don’t hesitate to contact us in the message section below.

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I am a freelance journalist and blogger from England. I am highly interested in politics and in particular the subject of IR. I am an advocate for freedom of speech, equality, and personal privacy. On a more personal level I like to stay active, love snowboarding, swimming and cycling, enjoy seafood, and love to listen to trap music.